the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better bettered expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad of it.

Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Mess. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness. There are no faces truer than those that are so washed: how much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?

Beat. I pray you, is signior Montanto returned from the wars, or no?

3

Mess. I know none of that name, lady3: there was none such in the army of any sort.

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece?

Hero. My cousin means signior Benedick of Padua. Mess. O! he is returned, and as pleasant as ever he

was.

Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina1, and challenged Cupid at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt.-I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars? But how But how many hath

3 I know none of that name, lady:] Beatrice asks after Benedick by a term of the fencing-school, “ Montanto," the humour of which the messenger does not appear to understand, and answers, "I know none of that name, lady." He set up his bills here in Messina,] "To set up bills" was to give public notice of a challenge, by posting placards. 5 - challenged Cupid at the FLIGHT:] The "flight" was a species of arrow, apparently so called from the circumstance that it was used for flying long distances. Daniel, in a passage quoted by Steevens, distinguishes between "flight-shafts" and "sheaf-arrows." Civil Wars, b. viii. st. 15. The flight was contra-distinguished from the bird-bolt, mentioned just afterwards, which, instead of being long and slender, was short and thick, and calculated only to hit near objects.

he killed? for, indeed, I promised to eat all of his killing.

Leon. Faith, niece, you tax signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.

Mess. He hath done good service, lady, in these

wars.

Beat. You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it he is a very valiant trencher-man; he hath an excellent stomach.

Mess. And a good soldier too, lady.

Beat. And a good soldier to a lady; but what is he to a lord?

Mess. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all honourable virtues".

Beat. It is so, indeed: he is no less than a stuffed man; but for the stuffing,-Well, we are all mortal.

Leon. You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt signior Benedick and her: they never meet, but there's a skirmish of wit between them.

Beat. Alas! he gets nothing by that. In our last conflict four of his five wits' went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one; so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? He hath every month a new sworn brother.

6

Mess. Is't possible?

e. furnished. In her reply

STUFFED with all honourable virtues.] Beatrice plays upon the double meaning of the word.

7 four of his five WITS went halting off,] The five senses, long before the time of Shakespeare, were called the five wits; and hence the intellectual powers, intended by Beatrice, were also supposed to be five in number. Of this, many proofs might be adduced if necessary. Edgar, in King Lear, A. iii. sc. 4, exclaims, "Bless thy five wits ;" and Malone remarks, that Shakespeare in one of his Sonnets (141) distinguishes "the five wits" from the five senses :— "But my fire wits, nor my fire senses, can

Dissuade one foolish heart from loving thee."

Beat. Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block 8.

Mess. I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young squarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

Mess. He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio.

Beat. O Lord! he will hang upon him like a disease: he is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere he be cured.

Mess. I will hold friends with you, lady.

Beat. Do, good friend.

Leon. You will never run mad, niece.

Beat. No, not till a hot January.

Mess. Don Pedro is approached.

Enter Don PEDRO, JOHN', CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, BALTHAZAR, and others.

D. Pedro. Good signior Leonato, are you come2 to meet your trouble? the fashion of the world is to avoid cost, and you encounter it.

Leon. Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your grace; for trouble being gone, comfort should remain, but when you depart from me, sorrow abides, and happiness takes his leave.

8

91

with the next BLOCK.] i. e. The mould on which a hat is formed.

is there no young SQUARER now,] i. e. No young quarreller: to "square,"

is now to take the first position for boxing.

1 John.] The modern editors call him "Don John," but in the ancient copies he is called "John," " John the bastard," and "Sir John," in the stage directions or in the prefixes to the speeches assigned to him.

2

ARE YOU come]. The folio reads "you are come."

D. Pedro. You embrace your charge too willingly. I think, this is your daughter.

Leon. Her mother hath many times told me so.

Bene. Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her? Leon. Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child.

D. Pedro. You have it full, Benedick: we may guess by this what you are, being a man.-Truly, the lady fathers herself.-Be happy, lady, for you are like an honourable father.

Bene. If signior Leonato be her father, she would not have his head on her shoulders for all Messina, as like him as she is.

Beat. I wonder that you will still be talking, signior Benedick: no body marks you.

Bene. What, my dear lady Disdain! are you yet living?

Beat. Is it possible disdain should die, while she hath such meet food to feed it, as signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in her presence.

But it is cer

Bene. Then is courtesy a turn-coat. tain, I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for, truly, I love none.

Beat. A dear happiness to women: they would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God, and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that: I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man swear he loves me.

Bene. God keep your ladyship still in that mind; so some gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face.

Beat. Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere such a face as yours were.

Bene. Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.

Beat. A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of

yours.

Bene. I would, my horse had the speed of your tongue, and so good a continuer. But keep your way o' God's name; I have done.

Beat. You always end with a jade's trick: I know you of old.

D. Pedro. That is the sum of all3.-Leonato,—signior Claudio, and signior Benedick,—my dear friend Leonato hath invited you all. I tell him we shall stay here at the least a month, and he heartily prays some occasion may detain us longer: I dare swear he is no hypocrite, but prays from his heart.

Leon. If you swear, my lord, you shall not be forsworn.-Let me bid you welcome, my lord: being reconciled to the prince your brother, I owe you all duty. John. I thank you: I am not of many words, but I thank you.

Leon. Please it your grace lead on?

D. Pedro. Your hand, Leonato: we will go together. [Exeunt all but BENEDICK and CLAUDIO. Claud. Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of signior Leonato?

Bene. I noted her not; but I looked on her.
Claud. Is she not a modest young lady?

Bene. Do you question me, as an honest man should do, for my simple true judgment; or would you have me speak after my custom, as being a professed tyrant to their sex?

Claud. No; I pray thee, speak in sober judgment.

Bene. Why, i'faith, methinks she's too low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a great praise only this commendation I can afford her; that were she other than she is, she were unhandsome, and being no other but as she is, I do not like her.

3 That is the sum of all.] The folio reads This, &c.